


Hurtful Messages

by LyriaFrost



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2013-12-14
Packaged: 2018-01-04 14:12:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1081959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaFrost/pseuds/LyriaFrost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael shows up to work without Lindsay, can Gavin help his best friends?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ray and Gavin were surprised when Michael came into work without Lindsay that morning. They were even more surprised when they saw how angry he was that day. It was beyond his normal anger, far more than his Rage Quit personality. This was pure rage, and it was rather terrifying. He glared at everything, yelled at anyone who talked to him, and almost broke his controller during a Let's Play. Ray and Gavin exchanged many worried looks over his head and decided that something was really wrong and they needed to try to help their friend. So when lunch time came around, they chased Geoff, Jack, and Ryan out of the room, before turning back to Michael, who was trying to edit a Rage Quit and getting very frustrated. Ray reached over and stopped what he was doing, while Gavin dragged his chair away from the desk and pulled off his headphones. 

"What the fuck, guys? I'm trying to work here." Ray cut Michael off before he could continue yelling. 

"Shut it, man, we're trying to help you here. You've been off all day long and we want to know why." 

"What the fuck are you talking about, Ray, everything is perfectly peachy today." Gavin sighed and leaned down, putting an arm on each side of Michael's chair, getting close to the other man's face. 

"You twit, don't even try that. We both can tell, everyone can tell that something is wrong today. And it's obvious it has to do with Lindsay since you came to work in a shitty mood and without her. So quit lying and talk to us already, we're your friends, Michael, we're here to help you." Michael looked like he was going to continue arguing, but then something inside him just broke, and he slumped forward, head in his hands. 

"Lindsay... Lindsay stayed home today. She had a really rough night and didn't want to face anyone here yet." 

"Michael... Michael, tell us what happened." 

"What happened? What happened is that I love most of our fans, but some just push it way too far, and I can't stand when they hurt the people I love. Lindsay has been getting all this hate stuff... emails and blog posts and tweets... all about how she doesn't deserve me and all these mean things about her and it's just not fair. She's the kindest, sweetest, most beautiful girl I've ever met, and I know she's too good for me and my temper. It makes her feel awful and I can't stand it at all, I get so angry at the people who would act that way towards the girl I love, the person I want to spend my life with." By the end of his rant, Michael had tears in his eyes, though he would never admit it to anyone else, and Ray and Gavin would never dream of telling. Ray handed Michael a few tissues before speaking up. 

"Michael... I'm sorry you both have to deal with that. No matter how cliche it sounds though, it doesn't matter what they think. They don't know you, and very few will ever get to meet you. All they know is your personalities on the videos. They don't see you two the way we do, the things that don't make it on camera or in tweets. It's actually kinda sickening sometimes, all the blatant affection between you two even when you try to tone it down. Everyone who knows you, knows that you two are perfect together, and you definitely deserve each other because you're both wonderful people." Michael laughed a little, feeling somewhat better after Ray's sappy speech. 

"I know, you're right, but I just get so mad at people who make Lindsay feel bad." Gavin spoke up from the side then. 

"I have an idea! Make sure Lindsay comes to work tomorrow, okay, Michael?" 

"Should I be afraid as to why?" Gavin had a giant goofy grin on his face now. 

"Nope! I have an idea for something that'll make her feel better." Michael had the fleeting thought that he should be afraid of Gavin's mystery idea, but he trusted his boy, and he knew that no one knew Lindsay better than Gavin, other that Michael himself anyway. He sighed, releasing as much of his tension as he could right then. 

"Thanks, guys. I know you're right, I just hate it so much." 

"Dude, Team Lads, we gotta stick together. We take care of our own, man." Gavin figured that now that Michael was a little calmer, he could take the opportunity to distract the boy, and get him riled up in a better way. So while Ray and Michael were talking, he snuck around behind them, grabbed another packet of lube from his desk, and exploded it in Michael's face. And when the rest of the office heard the curly-haired boy yelling at the top of his lungs and threatening the Brit with soggy bread, they knew everything would be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Michael kept his promise and made sure that Lindsay came to work. She was incredibly reluctant, but when Michael told her that Gavin had something planned, she knew she couldn't blow him off like that. He meant a lot to her and she was willing to put up with her problems to find out what he had in mind. When the two of them arrived at the Rooster Teeth studios, it was very quiet. Far too quiet for mid-morning, when everything would usually be in full swing. As soon as they stepped into the office, Burnie showed up, handing Lindsay a paper before grabbing Michael and dragging him away. Lindsay was confused of course, but trusted her coworkers. So she opened up the note and read the cryptic message contained therein. 

"Podcast." That one word was the only thing on the paper. Lindsay had no idea what was going on, but figured that she might as well find out, figuring that the cryptic message was probably directing her to the podcast recording studio. Once she made it there, she found Gus holding another piece of paper. He simply handed it to her and then walked away. At this point, Lindsay was completely confused, but continued to play along. Fortunately, this note was a little longer. 

"Dear Lindsay, you are a fantastic employee, and a truly amazing friend. When we have you on the podcast, we know it's going to be a good time, because you've got a wealth of stories and bits of gossip, but it's never mean or embarrassing for anyone. We're glad we got the chance to work with you, from having you on sound to now being a full-fledged member of Achievement Hunter. Sincerely, Gus, Burnie, Joel, and Matt. P.S. Upstairs." Though Lindsay probably wouldn't admit it, that note had made her a little misty-eyed, short as it was. She hurried upstairs, wondering what would happen next. Barbara was there, handing her a envelope and disappearing just like everyone else. When she opened it, a stack of photos fell out, pictures of her with Barbara, Kerry, Miles, Chris, Monty, and many other staff members. There was also a disc, which Lindsay popped into her computer. When it opened, it started to play a video recorded right there. 

"Hey Linds!" That was Barbara. "Hey there, girl!" That was Kerry. "I just want to tell you that I love you and Michael better watch out." Kerry suddenly disappeared and Barbara came back on screen, shaking her head. "Well, I've banned the rest of them from talking, they can just stand there and look pretty. But for real, you're an amazing person, sweetie, and such an awesome friend. We have so much fun, at work and out there in the big, wild world. And I know that if I ever need someone, you'll be right there. I've never met someone as sweet and kind and honest as you, and its quite refreshing and very welcoming after working with all these dumb guys. (Hey! We resent that.)" Lindsay laughed, hearing the familiar playful banter. "So now, Linds, our message is done. There's just a few very important people that you need to talk to still, so head on down to the Achievement Hunter room now, okay? See ya soon!" Lindsay smiled, feeling better than she had in days, and ran back down the stairs, knowing that the best was yet to come if she knew her crazy boys down there. Sure enough, once she got into the room, all the Achievement Hunters were there: Geoff, Gavin, Michael, Ray, Ryan, Jack, and even Caleb. There was a giant poster behind them, and Lindsay could see that it was all pictures of her with friends, with fans, even ones from when she was little. Interspersed were more handwritten notes as well as printouts of tweets and messages. Michael came forward and kissed her lightly. 

"I definitely didn't think Gavin could ever plan something like this, but its pretty awesome, babe. And it's all for you." Lindsay didn't even bother to hide her tears this time, clinging to Michael until she felt stable enough to turn to Gavin, as he obviously had something to say to her. Sure enough, he pulled one last note from his pocket and handed it to her. 

"This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so you better not lose this note, Linds. After all, the Great Gavino can't be seen being all mushy and serious that often. Anyway, everyone else has probably told you all the things about how you're an awesome friend and so nice and honest and all that. Don't get me wrong, they're all completely true. But to me, you're so much more. you're the one who managed to help my best friend, and for that I'm always in your debt. I tried to be the one to help Michael, help him deal with his rage, and I know it helps him to take it out on me, but you're the only one who can really calm him and help him let it go. So thanks, saves me a few beatings a day! And for me? Well you're the first girl here in America, other than Griffon and Millie, that I actually let close to me. So you're a pretty lucky gal! Got Team Nice Dynamite by your side, and all of Rooster Teeth behind you, not to mention all your other friends and fans too. So don't listen to those haters, yeah? They don't see the way that you make our Michael's eyes light up, make his rage even more affectionate. They don't see how you always bring cookies for us, and how you always know when I'm getting just a little too homesick. You belong here, with us, and anyone who says otherwise is just plain wrong. You're our girl, Lindsay, always." When Lindsay finished reading, she blinked away her tears, looking up at Gavin. He looked a little concerned about her reaction, but she just ran up to him and hugged him. 

"Thank you so much, Gavin, oh thank you. I know it was so stupid to let those messages get to me, sometimes its still hard to believe this is actually my life, but I'm sorry, you guys are the greatest friends ever." Gavin was blushing a little, not used to getting praised for things he did. Michael laughed and punched him on the arm. 

"Don't get any ideas on moving in on my gal there, Gavin." Lindsay pulled away from Gavin and wrapped her arm around Michael, who rested his hand on Gavin's shoulder. "But hey, you did good, Gav. Who would've thought that you had it in you?" Gavin fake pouted. 

"Hey, I can be serious when I want to, Micool." Gavin purposely stressed the accent on the Jersey's boys name, throwing him a smile as the mood immediately lightened. Ray swooped in and dragged Lindsay away, the other Achievement Hunters proceeding to show off their favorite parts of the board that they had stayed up late compiling. Michael and Gavin stood off to the side, Michael's arm still around Gavin's shoulders. 

"Hey, Gavin? Thank you. I really mean it. Lindsay and I are lucky to have a friend like you." Gavin just laughed, to cover up his blush, and smacked Michael on the side, which set off one of their usual wrestling matches. And as the loud thumps and ringing laughter echoed through the building, everything was right with the world again.


End file.
